First lady praises Greenwich girl at 'state dinner'

Charles J. Lewis

Updated 10:18 pm, Monday, August 20, 2012

First lady Michelle Obama talks with Illana Gonzalez-Evans, from Washington, during the Kids' "State Dinner," Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Photo: AP

First lady Michelle Obama talks with Illana Gonzalez-Evans, from...

Betsy DaSilva, 11, of Cos Cob, sits on a bench at the Greenwich YWCA Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, with her homemade sandwich that won her a spot at a White House state dinner with First Lady Michelle Obama Aug. 20, 2012.
Photo: Helen Neafsey

WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama praised Greenwich student Betsy Da Silva at a White House luncheon Monday for the turkey wrap she created as part of a healthy food competition for kids.

At one point in her remarks, Obama noted that, "Betsy Da Silva from Connecticut submitted a recipe for a Heavenly Lunch Wrap. Where are you, Betsy? Here, stand up, sweetie, might as well." Amid the applause, Obama continued: "Betsy -- she says -- `whenever I eat this food, I know that I've been blessed with the energy to focus more at school.' "

Betsy, 11, of Cos Cob, and her mother, Bertha Ramos, had created a recipe of turkey, spinach, tomato, a bit of mayonnaise and quinoa, a high-protein grain.

Betsy will start the sixth grade at Convent of the Sacred Heart next month.

The lunch in the East Room of the White House saluted the 54 winners of the "Healthy Lunchtime Challenge," a recipe contest for children ages 8 to 12 sponsored by the food website Epicurious.com. Betsy was the Connecticut winner.

Obama told the winners: "I am so proud of you, we are all so proud of you. The president of the United States is so proud of you."

Indeed, President Barack Obama made an unscheduled visit to the lunch and told the winners: "We're very impressed with everything that you've done. I hope you guys are having a good time while you're here. Everybody, by the way, looks very sharp, looks very good.

"I only have one request for you, and that is try not to drop any scraps on the floor because Bo (the Obama family dog) is on a diet right now and he will eat anything that he sees, especially some of the tasty meals that you guys have prepared."

Before sitting down for lunch, the winners were entertained by a Marine Corps quintet, clad in red formal uniforms, playing jazzy renditions of kid-friendly tunes, including the theme from "The Flintstones."

More than 1,200 entries were judged by White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass; renowned Spanish chef Jose Andres; Marshall and Alex Reid, the authors of "Portion Size Me," a book that aims to encourage healthy eating among families; Epicurious.com Editor in Chief Tanya Steel and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Education. The winners came from all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.